Reformation is one of the most popular brands among celebrities and one of the main reasons is their commitment to the environment. The brand has a program called RefScale that it says tracks its environmental footprint. Through this program, Reformation is able to share statistics on the amount of water and carbon dioxide it is able to save in comparison to other clothing that is bought in the United States. In addition, this information is easily available to the public since the figures are available on each of the product pages on its website. Reformation is now launching a new and improved recycling program and all of the details are included in this informative blog.
Reformation – Brand Commitment to Recycling
Reformation pioneered its business on the re-use of items such as deadstock and textile waste. In addition, the brand says it has been carbon neutral since 2015 and it has also worked with Climate Neutral, in order to gain the certification they need, to show the public their commitment to the environment.
In addition, Reformation uses eco-friendly materials and they only work with suppliers who share a common vision with them when it comes to sustainability and transparency.
Their new and improved RefRecycling program encourages their customers to send their older or worn Reformation items back to the label. Once the items are received, the label plans to turn them back into fiber so they can create new clothing and shoes with the Reformation label and branding. This recycling plan is designed to make additional use of the older items and keep them out of landfills.
According to their website, “We’ve been reusing and recycling clothes since 2015, but this is the first time we’re making new Ref out of old Ref.”
RefRecycling – How the Program Works
In order to participate in this program, people who own older or worn Reformation clothing items can send them back to the company. It is free to send the items as the public simply needs to send them via a mailer or drop them off at a store. For each item that is returned to Reformation, the customer will earn a credit from the company based on the category of clothing. In order to make it even easier for the public, the items do not have to be in any particular condition or shape and the company even accepts items that are classified as being “unwearable” when they are returned. In fact, the label even says that unwearable items are welcome by claiming, “Yep – that’s our favorite kind.”
When it comes to credits for the returned items, they are more than the few dollars that might be expected for items that are not in the best condition. For example, outerwear can earn $20 while shoes get $25, denim gets a $15 credit, and activewear and sweaters will earn $10 from the company, The credits that are earned form returning used and worn items can be put towards the purchase of new items that might have been made from old items that were returned as part of the Reformation recycling efforts.
According to the company website, “We’re paying you to send us Ref shoes, denim sweaters, outerwear, and activewear you don’t want anymore. You get rid of stuff you no longer want and we get to make clothes with recycled materials. It’s pretty much a good thing all around.”
RefRecycling – How it Helps the Clothing Industry
Recycling programs, such as RefRecycling, run by major brands are a successful way to keep clothes in circulation and also keep them out of landfills. Items such as clothing that end up in landfills can take multiple decades to break down. In addition, their time in landfills can also result in the release of methane gas that can overheat the planet.
The website of Reformation states, “The U.S..alone throws away over 16 million tons of textiles a year, a lot of which sits in landfills for pretty much ever. Most cities aren’t set up to process textile waste at recycling centers, so it will likely end up in the landfill. More opportunities for clothing recycling contributes to lower demand, and thus lower emissions for making virgin materials. By breaking clothes down back into fiber, we can turn them into new products with as few materials as possible.”
It is important to remember that clothing that ends up in a landfill can often be considered to be wasted material that can be used for other purposes by a clothing company. If it is not rescued and/or recycled from a landfill, there is an expense to the planet in terms of the amount of time it takes for the materials to break down. The dumping of clothing in a landfill creates a need for recycling in order to reduce the water and carbon footprint of a company.